Abstract: A fluid control device (100) includes a structure (120) defining a valve cavity, a first fluid port (135), a second fluid port (140), and a third fluid port (145) configured to be fluidly coupled to a hermetic interior (105) of a body; and a plunger valve (130) within the valve cavity and configured to move between first and second modes while maintaining the hermetic interior of the body. In the first mode, the plunger valve is open such that a first fluid flow path is open between the hermetic interior and the first fluid port and fluid is free to pass between the first fluid port and the hermetic interior. In the second mode, the plunger valve is closed such that the first fluid port is blocked from the hermetic interior by the plunger valve and a second fluid flow path is open between the hermetic interior and the second fluid port.

Abstract: A method for ordering and/or selection of latent elements for modeling low dimensional data within a latent space representation, the low dimensional data being a reduced dimensionality representation of input data as determined by a first model component of a model, comprising the steps of training said model and selecting one of said latent element selections based on said training, said training comprising: reducing a dimensionality of the input data to generate said low dimensional data in said latent space representation; training a second model component of said model for each of one or more latent element selections; and optimizing an approximation of the input data as output by said second model component for each said latent element selection, thereby ranking at least one of said plurality of latent elements in the latent space representation based on a contribution of each latent element to the input data.

Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for grounding a wafer in a charged particle beam apparatus. The systems and methods include providing an exclusion area in a backside film on the wafer of sufficient size to allow an electrical connection between the wafer and an electrical contact of the charged particle beam apparatus. The systems and methods include contacting a pin body to a surface of the wafer, the wafer having a coating on the surface, and the pin body comprising a first tip and a second tip each extending from the pin body; wherein the contacting takes place at a first exclusion area of the coating by any one of the first tip, the second tip, or any combination thereof.

Abstract: Systems and methods of reducing the Coulomb interaction effects in a charged particle beam apparatus are disclosed. The charged particle beam apparatus may comprise a charged particle source and a source conversion unit comprising an aperture-lens forming electrode plate configured to be at a first voltage, an aperture lens plate configured to be at a second voltage that is different from the first voltage for generating a first electric field, which enables the aperture-lens forming electrode plate and the aperture lens plate to form aperture lenses of an aperture lens array to respectively focus a plurality of beamlets of the charged particle beam, and an imaging lens configured to focus the plurality of beamlets on an image plane. The charged particle beam apparatus may comprise an objective lens configured to focus the plurality of beamlets onto a surface of the sample and form a plurality of probe spots thereon.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for focus measurement of a lithographic process. The method comprises receiving a substrate on which a metrology pattern has been printed with a lithographic apparatus with an illumination pupil, illuminating the metrology pattern with a metrology tool to measure a signal based on radiation scattered by the metrology pattern, and determining or monitoring a focus of the lithographic process based on the measured signal. Position of at least part of the metrology pattern is focus dependent. At least part of the metrology pattern has been printed by the lithography apparatus with an angular asymmetric illumination pupil.

Abstract: Disclosed is an illumination module for a metrology device. The illumination module comprises a configurable illumination module operable to provide measurement illumination over a configurable range of illumination angles, a grating light valve module for controllably configuring a spectral configuration of the measurement illumination; and a controller operable to control the configurable illumination module and the grating light valve module such that the spectral configuration of the measurement illumination is varied in dependence with illumination angle within the range of illumination angles so as to obtain a desired detection condition for detection of diffracted radiation from a diffractive structure resultant from a measurement of the diffractive structure using the measurement illumination.

Abstract: A method for determining a vertical position of a structure on a substrate with respect to a nominal vertical position is disclosed. The method comprises obtaining complex field data relating to scattered radiation from said structure, for a plurality of different wavelengths, determining variation in a phase parameter with wavelength from said complex field data; and determining said vertical position with respect to a nominal vertical position from the determined variation in phase with wavelength.

Abstract: A micromirror array comprises a substrate, a plurality of mirrors for reflecting incident light and, for each mirror of the plurality of mirrors, at least one multilayer piezoelectric actuator for displacing the mirror, wherein the at least one multilayer piezoelectric actuator is connected to the substrate, and wherein the at least one multilayer piezoelectric actuator comprises a plurality of piezoelectric layers of piezoelectric material interleaved with a plurality of electrode layers to form a stack of layers. Also disclosed is a method of forming such a micromirror array. The micromirror array may be used in a programmable illuminator. The programmable illuminator may be used in a lithographic apparatus and/or in an inspection and/or metrology apparatus.

Abstract: An apparatus for monitoring a stream of droplets of target material for generating a radiation beam in a radiation source, wherein the apparatus comprises: a target material emitter for creating the stream of droplets of target material, wherein the target material emitter comprises a chamber configured for the target material to pass through before forming the stream of droplets; a first transducer configured to generate acoustic pressures in the chamber, and a second transducer configured to sense the acoustic pressures in the chamber.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for thermo-mechanical control of a heat sensitive element (MI) subject to a heat load, comprising: —providing a non-linear thermo-mechanical model of the heat sensitive element describing a dynamical relationship between characteristics of the heat load and deformation of the heat sensitive element; —calculating a control signal on the basis of an optimization calculation of the non-linear model, —providing an actuation signal to a heater (HE), wherein the actuation signal is at least partially based on the control signal, —heating the heat sensitive element by the heater on the basis of the actuation signal.

Abstract: A lithographic apparatus is disclosed. The lithographic apparatus comprises a substrate table configured to support a substrate; actuators configurable to move the substrate table in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate; a projection system configured to pattern the substrate with fields aligned in a scanning exposure direction; a level sensor configured to sense a height of the substrate using a plurality of measurement spots; and a controller configured to control the actuators to generate strokes of relative movement between the substrate and the level sensor for mapping the height of the substrate, said strokes being at an angle of less than 20 degrees relative to the scanning exposure direction. Also disclosed is an associated method of mapping the height of a substrate.

Abstract: A method can include directing radiation toward at least two targets using an optical scanning system so as to generate first and second portions of scattered radiation. A first target can include a plurality of first grating line structures including features having a first bias value. A second target can include a plurality of second grating line structures including features having a second bias value. The method can include detecting the first and second portions of scattered radiation, generating a first measurement signal indicative of a first target position based on the first bias features, and generating a second measurement signal indicative of a second target position based on the second bias features. The method can include analyzing an effect of the first and second bias values on the first and second positions to determine at least one property of the set of targets.

Abstract: A substrate warpage determination system comprises at least three first supporting devices and at least three second supporting devices, forming first and second substrate support areas configured to carry a substrate, an actuator configured to move the at least three second supporting devices in a vertical direction, and a controller to drive the actuator. The controller is configured to determine a force exerted by the actuator, compare the determined force exerted by the actuator at the position in a vertical direction of the second substrate support area relative to the first substrate support area to a predetermined force at a predetermined position in the vertical direction of the second substrate support area relative to the first substrate support area, and determine a warpage of the substrate from the comparison.

Abstract: Systems and methods for reducing charging artifacts in an inspection image include obtaining a set of inspection images, in which each of the set of inspection images includes a charging artifact; and training a machine learning model using the set of inspection images as input, in which the machine learning model outputs a set of decoupled features of the set of inspection images.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising: a radiation receiving apparatus provided with an opening operable to receive radiation from a radiation source through the opening; wherein the radiation receiving apparatus comprises a deflection apparatus arranged to change a trajectory of a particle through the opening arriving at the radiation receiving apparatus.

Abstract: Described herein is a method of training a model configured to predict whether a feature associated with an imaged substrate will be defective after etching of the imaged substrate and determining etch conditions based on the trained model. The method includes obtaining, via a metrology tool, (i) an after development image of the imaged substrate at a given location, the after development image including a plurality of features, and (ii) an after etch image of the imaged substrate at the given location; and training, using the after development image and the after etch image, the model configured to determine defectiveness of a given feature of the plurality of features in the after development image. In an embodiment, the determining of defectiveness is based on comparing the given feature in the after development image with a corresponding etch feature in the after etch image.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of correcting a measured spectrum for the effects of a source spectrum resulting from an illumination source. The method comprises obtaining a measured spectrum in terms of a measurement parameter, the measured spectrum being obtained from captured diffracted radiation from a periodic structure following illumination of said periodic structure using source radiation from said illumination source, the periodic structure being the spectrometer grating and an object being measured; determining an estimate of the source spectrum from the measured spectrum; and correcting the measured spectrum using the estimate of the source spectrum.

Abstract: A vacuum chamber system comprises a supporting structure configured to support an object to be thermally stabilized, a plate, having a first surface facing the object, positioned such that the first surface is located within a predetermined distance from the object when the object is placed on the supporting structure, the plate being thermally coupled to a heat conduction source, and a chamber enclosing the supporting structure and the plate.

Abstract: Disclosed is an illumination arrangement for spectrally shaping a broadband illumination beam to obtain a spectrally shaped illumination beam. The illumination arrangement comprises a beam dispersing element for dispersing the broadband illumination beam and a spatial light modulator for spatially modulating the broadband illumination beam subsequent to being dispersed. The illumination arrangement further comprises at least one of a beam expanding element for expanding said broadband illumination beam in at least one direction, located between an input of the illumination arrangement and the spatial light modulator; and a lens array, each lens of which for directing a respective wavelength band of the broadband illumination beam subsequent to being dispersed onto a respective region of the spatial light modulator.

Abstract: The invention relates to an exposure apparatus and a method for projecting a charged particle beam onto a target. The exposure apparatus comprises a charged particle optical arrangement comprising a charged particle source for generating a charged particle beam and a charged particle blocking element and/or a current limiting element for blocking at least a part of a charged particle beam from a charged particle source. The charged particle blocking element and the current limiting element comprise a substantially flat substrate provided with an absorbing layer comprising Boron, Carbon or Beryllium. The substrate further preferably comprises one or more apertures for transmitting charged particles. The absorbing layer is arranged spaced apart from the at least one aperture.